Labiate door for phonograph cabinets



March 11 1924.

W. T. .LAKIN -LABIATE DOOR FOR PHONOGRAPH CABINETS Filed June 1, 1923 11v VENTOR .11 .ZaJZ in WITNESSES 15M fi. Aw/mt- A TTORNEYS Patented Mar. ll, 1924.

n i r WILLIAIM TROUPE LAKI'N, 0]? LONG, MARYLAND.

LABIATE DOOR FOR FHO-NOGRAPH CABINETS.

Application filed June 1,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM TROUPE LAKIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Long, in the county of Allegany and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Labiate Doors for Phonograph Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates toimprovements in phonograph cabinets, and it consists of the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a phonograph cabinet having an improved door, in fact, a pair of doors which are adjustable at the mouth of the amplifying horn so as to regulate the volume of sound.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of doors at the mouth of an amplifying horn of a phonograph cabinet, so constructed that one is operated by the other, there being means for sustaining the doors in any position of adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide doors for the mouth of the amplifying horn of a phonograph arranged and operated to simulate the action of the lips of the human mouth in opening and closing.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for controlling the volume of sound emitted by the amplifier of a phonograph, consisting of labiate doors having links or arms so arranged as to sustain one door upon the other, the sustaining function being aided by frictionally adjustable spring washers, as fully set out below.

A further object of the invention is to provide mutually sustained labiate doors, both controlled by a single motion of one of the doors, therefore not requiring a rigid anchoring plate which in fact is not to be found on the very thin wood of the amplify ing horn of the phonograph cabinet at the mouth of which the labiate doors are operatively situated.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a phonograph cabinet, illustrating the labiate doors in operative position at the mouth of the amplifying horn,

1923. Serial No. 642,805.

Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1, illustrating the doors in the partly open position in full lines, and in the fully open position in dotted lines,

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the door arms,

Fig. & is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, illustrating the friction producing means at the central pivotal point,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the use of friction producing means at all of the pivotal points,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of one type of spring washer which may be employed at the pivotal points of the arms, and

gig. 7 is a modification in the form of arm en The construction of the invention comprises a pair of doors 1 and 2 which are respectively mounted on hinges 3 and 4 to swing vertically in respect to each other at the mouth or outlet of the phonograph amplifying horn 5. By mounting the doors in this manner the act of opening and closing the lips of the human mouth is simulated. It is for this reason that they are termed labiate doors.

Any position of the doors is automatically maintained by the combined functions of the frictional resistance produced at the pivotal points 6, 7 and 8 of the arms 9 and 10 which join the doors as shown in Fig. 21 and of a particular construction, of the braces themselves. The central pivot comprises the bolt designated 7, a plurality of spring washers 11 being carried by the bolt, one adjacent to the arm 9 next to the head of the bolt, another adjacent to the arm 10. A plain washer 12 and a set screw 13 compress the spring washers against the sides, of the arms to maintain the de sired friction. A jam nut l3 on the reduced oppositely threaded end of the bolt 7 (Fig. 4) keeps the set screw 13 from working loose.

In Fig. 4 the friction at the pivotal points 6 and 8 is produced by nuts 6 and '8 on the threaded ends of the bolts which constitute the pivots. The nuts may prove insufficient to maintain the desired tension, and if this is so use may be made of spring washers 11 (Fig. 5) similar to the spring washers 11 used in Fig. 4:, for the purpose of insuring constant friction at these particular pivotal points.

The tension at the central pivotal point 7 may be increased or diminished by turning the set screw 13 accordingly as desired.

One or more apertures 14 are provided atv the inner end of the upper arm 9 for purposes of other adjustments of the pivotal point 7 when required. The pivot bolts 6 and 8 have bearing in angle brackets 15 and 16 which are suitably aifixed to the doors 1 and 2. A bent over shoulder 9 on the arm v9 limits the outward or straightening movement of the arms.

A knob 17 on the lower door 2, provides a place which is to be gripped when it is desired to move the doors to open or closed positions. The knob may be placed on the upper door 1 and the result in operation would be the same. hen fully opened, the lower door rests ona sill 18, while the open ing movement of the upper door is limited by a slight extension 19. The sill and extension prevent the doors from opening farther than they should, and when fully opened, the arms 9 and 10 still assume a slightly angular position in respect to each other as shown in dotted lines in Fig. .2.-

This is absolutely necessary to enable the subsequent closure of the doors or other adj ustment thereof when correspondingly moving the knob 17. A cleat 2O bounds the opening of the amplifying horn-5 and is so located that the doors 1 and 2 will close against it, thus forming a perfectly secure joint all around.

Attention is directed to Figs. 2 and 3. The upper end of the arm 9'is shown rounded on along curve 21 so as to produce shoulders 22. Similarly, the lower end of the arm 10 is formed on a long curve 23 producing shoulders 24-. The innermost ones of these shoulders are adapted to engage the plate portions 25 and 26 of the brackets 15 and 16 respectively. The holes for the pivots 6 and 8 are closer at the center to the circumference of the curved arm ends so as to insure the binding of the shoulders 22 and 24- against the plates 25 and 26. It is through this engagement that a certain fixed relationship between the arms and doors is established which is necessary forthe automatic movement of one door when the other is operated.

A slight springing or yielding of the brackets 15 and 16 occurs when theshoulders of the arms engage the plates 25 and 26, as described. This occurs when the movement of the doors brings the shoulders to bear against the platesof the brackets. This slight yielding is accompanied by considerable resistance and this resistance at the apex of the shoulders 22 and 24 causes the doors to function in more or less unison, this being dependent upon the accuracy of construction of the parts.

The operation may be briefly reviewed to advantage. Both doors 1 and 2 are operincense ated with but a single motion through the operators manipulation of the lmob 17. One may open the doors to any position within the two limitsdefined in Fig. 2, and they will remain there by virtue of the friction of the spring-like washers 11 and 11 and by virtue of the engagement of the shouldered ends of the arms with the plates 25 and 26 of the'brackets. 7

Assume the knob 17 to be pulled so that the door 2 opens in the direction of the arrow a. The central friction pivot bolt 7 is under suflicient tension to make the braces Work stiifly. This is also true of the pivot bolts 6. and 8 whether only the nuts-6 and 8 or the spring washers 11 be depended upon to produce the friction.

Upon the initial openingmovement of the door 2 the inner shoulder 2 l'of the arm 10 will engage the adjacent plate 26 of the bracket 16 and establish a rigid connection so far as the door 2 and arm 10 are con cerned. Continued outward movement of the door 2 andofthe now rigid arm 10in the direction of the arrow 03, exerts an upward pressure onthe arm 9 in the direction of the arrow 6, so that the door 1 opens in the direction of the arrow 7). As stated before, the friction pivot 7 holds the doors in any adjusted position.

The inner shoulder 22 of the arm 9 soon comes into engagement with the plate 25 of the bracket 15 and causes the establishment of a fixed relationship of the arm 9 with the door 1. The continued forward movement of the pivot 7 j (on a line between the full and dotted line positions in; Fig. 2) is caused by the now rigid arms 9 and 10. The doors may stop wherever the operator do sires, and-the friction of the various pivots is sufficientto hold the doors in the particular position of adjustment.

It is important to observe that a relatively narrow mounting for the hinges 3 and 4: is required. The ordinary framework of a phonograph cabinet is sufliciently wide for this purpose. It naturally follows that a very thin amplifier 5 need not be out to secure a mounting even for thedoors 1 and 2 or for any part of the bracing meansof the doors. y

This emphasizes the fact that the arms 9 and 10 are carried solelybyv the doors and do not require a separate mounting for an chorage on any part of the phonograph cabinet. This is an important consideration, because, as indicated above,- it would have to be the verythin amplifier 5 to which the bracing means would be anchored were the peculiar novel construction in Fig. 2 not carried out. i v

Reference is nowmade to Fig. 7. Instead of finishing the outer end of each arm 9 and 10 on a longcurve to produce the shoulders referred to, the arm ends are formed with a shoulders.

number of flat places 27 which produce The innermost ones of these (considering both arms to have them) are adapted to engage the bracket plates and 26 in the same manner as do the shoulders 22 and 24c. Crests 28 are formed in shaping the fiat places 27. These cause considerable friction against the bracket plates (26 for example) as the door 2 passes to an open position, and this friction causes the other arm and door to function as described before.

While the construction and arrangement of the improved adjustable labiate doors as herein described and claimed, is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim 1. Labiate doors, means by which they are mounted, an arm mounted on each door, means by which a rigid relation may be established between the arms and said mounting means only one arm assuming such rigid relation to the door upon an opening movement, and connecting means for said arms adapted to push the other arm and door to a corresponding degree of opening movement.

2. Labiate doors, means by which they are mounted in parallelism, a bracket for each door each having a plate by which it is mounted on the door, an arm mounted on each bracket, a part of one arm being so engageable with the adjacent plate upon an opening movement of the corresponding door as to assume a rigid relation thereto, and connecting means for said arms adapted to push the other arm and door to a corresponding degree of opening movement.

3. A pair of doors, hinges upon which they are mounted, a bracket carried by each door each bracket having a plate by which it is mounted on a door, a pair of arms having one end of each pivoted to a bracket and having the provision of a shoulder at the pivot end, one arm being engageable with the adjacent plate upon an opening movement of the corresponding door thus assuming a rigid relation thereto, and means pivoting the other endsof the arms together said rigid arms causing the other arm and door to move correspondingly to the first door and arm.

4. Labiate doors having means by which they are mounted for relative vertical movement, a connection between the doors comprising a pair of arms having ends formed to provide shoulders, brackets on the doors to which the shouldered ends are pivoted and upon one of which the adjacent arm is adapted to bind upon an opening movement of the corresponding door to form a rigid connection, a pivot joining the other ends of the arms, means incorporated in said pivot for producing various degrees of friction in said pivot, and a shoulder on one of the arms adjacent to said pivot adapted to limit the straightening movement of the arms upon opening the doors.

5. A pair or" doors, hinges upon which they are mounted, a bracket carried by each door, an arm pivoted to each bracket, means pivotally joining the other ends of the arms to each other and to no other support, and means embodied in one or the arms adapted to engage the adjacent bracket and assume a fixed relation to the companion door causing the pivotal connection of the arms to move in a substantially rectilinear path as said door is swung, thereby causing the other door to swing also.

6. Labiate doors hinged to swing in opposition to each other, articulated arms connecting the doors, and means incorporated in the connections of the arms to the doors for first establishing a rigid relation of one arm with one door then of the other arm with the other door after limited movement of one door.

WILLIAM TROUPE LAKIN. 

